The conflict

"Now that's the question more appealing than your previous useless queries."

Ronan commented with a smirk and let go of Alizah's hand and she turned around to face him. Her wrist had marks from Ronan's grip and it hurt her a lot. She massaged the area around it a bit and then looked back at Ronan.

"I think you'd be fit for the position and moreover I would need some motivation when I'm playing the game, seeing you cheering for me could work."

Ronan winked and Alizah rolled her eyes.

"I have no idea about cheerleading, so you better not waste your time trying to manipulate me into doing it."

Alizah told him. It was the truth, she has never been engaged in any such activity before. She barely paid attention to any extracurricular activity in her last school.

"I think you're just waffling, why can't you do it?"

Ronan challenged.

"For obvious reasons... I have never done it in my life. How could you possibly ask me to do something that I'm completely unaware of?"

Alizah asked as a matter of fact.

"Hmm... So, you're giving up before even trying?"

Ronan was only playing his mind games again to manipulate Alizah into doing the task.

"I'm not getting into your trap again. And also, what benefit would you get by making me do this cheerleading thing?"

"Why would you think that I would be benefitted in any way by making you become the head cheerleader for the match?"

Ronan questioned with a twisted face.

"Oh my God! Did you forget, you are Ronan Morris! Why would you do anything that doesn't benefit you?"

Alizah said in a way to make Ronan's personality look mockingly larger than it was. Well, it was only a rude, arrogant and psychotic personality for her.

Ronan laughed and looked at Alizah's eyes and this time, Alizah thought, he had actually laughed and not for mocking.

"Well, I told you. I'd be motivated if the cheerleaders are good and I get to hear good cheering for me, from you."

He told with fake flattery eyes. He was being sarcastic.

"I can never understand you, Ronan, there are times when you can't even tolerate looking at me and then you want me to become the cheerleader because you want me, out of all people, to cheer for you?"

There was no way Alizah could ever be confusion-free around Ronan. He always made things hard for her just by simply being around.

"Just for this instance, know that I want you to be the head cheerleader for this match!"

He said and left perplexed Alizah in the middle of the football field. Shawn only saw her in bewilderment and didn't bother going to her to ask what was going on. He was aware that Ronan didn't like anyone intriguing in his business and if Shawn tried to grasp any information from Alizah, it would only mean going against Ronan.

The other footballer players left right after Ronan, maybe their practice was already over and they were just standing there to witness Alizah and Ronan talk for their own insane purpose. Everyone knew, if Ronan targets someone then he never makes it easy for that person, and those guys were shamelessly interested in witnessing Allah suffer after being Ronan's target. 

Even after school, Alizah was in bewilderment, she didn't know what to do about Ronan, what to do about his crazy mind games, or what to do about his manipulative nature. She didn't want to listen to anything he said but a part of her always surrendered to him. She knew if she didn't do it then he would make her do it. 

"You seem quite off today, everything alright?"

Linda asked as she saw Alizah in some psyche perplexity.

"Umm... Yeah, it is just about school, you know. Nothing else."

Alizah gave a tight smile and started cleaning the counter at the cafe.

"Is it still hard for you to get merged with elite class students? Did you make any friends yet?"

Alizah wanted to dodge those questions as she didn't want Linda to know what exactly was going on with her. Linda would only feel bad about Alizah but there was nothing she could do. But Alizah didn't even want to lie to her only friend.

"It's hectic, you know. The assignments, the workload. I really didn't get time to chat with many students but I'm sure, I would make some friends soon."

She smiled and went back to her work without waiting for Linda's response. She knew if she went on chatting with Linda then she would have to tell more lies and that was not acceptable by her.

Alizah was thankful that she didn't have to go to Mrs. Smith's home for babysitting her children today because they all were out of station for a while. Alizah's head was aching and she wanted nothing more than to rest. When her shift was over she refused to go out with Linda for a meal and went back straight to the home.

She hasn't expected her father to be home this early. Since he had joined the work at the bakery, he usually came back home just an hour before their usual dining time, so that he could prepare the meal for them both and Alizah don't have to bother with doing kitchen job after having a day filled with the workload.

"Hey! Dad, why are you home so early?"

She asked putting her bag on the table.

"Oh! I didn't go to work today. Actually, there hasn't been a sale of our products yet so our owner told us that he'd first focus on clearing the stock so he asked us not to come today."

Her father explained and scooted on the other side of the sofa to make space for Alizah to sit.

"Oh! That's alright!"

Alizah said.

"What about you? Why are you back home early today?"

His father asked concerned. Although he was happy that Alizah was back home early and now he could spend more time with her.

"I didn't have to go to my part-time job at Mrs. Smith's today. And I will be coming back home early for a few days now."

She told him with a smile.

"That's great!"

Her father said as now Alizah would get more rest and she could focus on her health better. 

"Should I prepare us dinner tonight?"

"No honey, you don't need it. You can complete your school's assignments meanwhile I prepare the meal."

Her father offered and Alizah was again reminded of the school. She wanted that place and the worst thing was she couldn't even admit to someone about it. Her father always wanted good for her and that was the reason that he was so happy when Alizah got admission to Avalon high but by telling him the hard reality she couldn't upset him. She needed to deal with this on her own because her father has already done a lot for her and she couldn't pester him with her school life problems anymore.

Alizah went back to her room and table and sat on the bed. She needed to find an excuse that she could use to deny Ronan, who was forcing her to become the head of the cheerleading team which she wasn't sure how she could do because never in her life she has been a cheerleader and let go of trying it for the person she hated the most. Ronan hasn't done any good but only given misery to Alizah and made her school life no less than a hell.

Her head was spinning by thinking about the incident again and again but she couldn't come up with a better answer to give to Ronan for denying his stubborn wish. Wish? Was it even a wish? He was just forcing his psychotic decisions onto her and he wanted nothing but to see Alizah suffer while trying the thing she had never done before in her life.

Alizah completed her school work in the meantime while her father prepared food for them and when it was time for dinner, he called for her, and she went back to the living room. 

" What happened Alizah? Is everything alright? You seem to be lost in your thoughts today that something happened in school?"

Her father asked in between eating the food an even Alizah knew it was evident in her face that she wasn't feeling very good but she was afraid to confess the truth to her father because she knew her father would not be able to take that her daughter was getting bad treatment at her school. Her father lived nothing more than Alizah's happiness and he could not compromise it for anything else.

"Dad, actually the thing is I'm quite perplexed about a situation, that I should become the cheerleader for the upcoming football match that Mr. And Mrs. Bradford were talking about last night. What do you think, if I should take this opportunity or drop it?"

Alizah couldn't tell the whole truth to her father because she couldn't tell him that she was actually being forced to do this job but she needed to know her father's opinion on the subject. Now she only hoped that whatever her father said could bring her some help to solve this conflict within herself...